


Distance

by Maxie_A



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Ultimate Spider-Man (Cartoon)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Gen, I AM SO ANGRY ABOUT BEN HE WAS MY SECOND FAVOURITE CHARACTER AND NOW MY HEART HURTS, Lots of Angst, Peter's got a lot of issues and Scarlet Spider DID NOT HELP, guilt complex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 19:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7234708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maxie_A/pseuds/Maxie_A
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm going to kill him," Flash says, voice wobbling, eyes wet but so filled with rage that both Cho and Miles would have taken three steps back, if it wasn't for the fact that they were just as angry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aloneintherain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aloneintherain/gifts).



> This was inspired by the USM talk in aloneintherain's Tumblr blog. My heart couldn't take it.
> 
> PROBS gonna be a chapter story. I mean, I've got a few angsty Peter ideas.

"Hey, Peter," Miles says, waving a hand towards the other spidery hero. Peter's not listening, however. Not seeing. He's distant, staring off into the corner of the room, expression blank but eyes wet and full of so much emotion, a range of sadness, fear, confusion, anger, and betrayal. His mind is a raging battle of thoughts upon thoughts upon thoughts, the civil war in his head too distracting, and it takes Miles yelling and waving his hands in front of the hero's face in order for Peter to slowly drag himself back to reality. He blinks and moves his gaze towards his teammate, his expression morphing into one of questioning, and Miles almost seems uncomfortable.

"Um, hey, so, me, Cho, and Flash were thinking about having a little guy's night out. Cho's been wanting to go bowling, and it's not really a sport, but Flash kind of seems eager to introduce the guy to the world of physical activity, one baby step at a time." Miles chuckles at this, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand nervously. 

Peter's response isn't immediate. His expression stayed frozen for a few seconds, but it slowly turns into something blank, and he turns his head away from Miles. "I'm not really in the mood for bowling, if that's what you're asking. Go on ahead without me. Have fun. I know Cho's been asking about bowling after the incident with Flint and Doc Ock."

Peters eyes seems to darken just a bit when he mentions the eight limbed villain, his hands clasping together, and Miles nervously shifts his weight back and forth, unsure what to do, because Cho said there's a probability that Spidey would actually take this bait, for once, but didn't tell Miles what to do if Peter refused. 

"W-well," Miles starts, then pauses to clear his throat. "Well, you know, Cho thought it would be fun if you came, too. So I thought I'd ask—"

"I know," Peter says, and his gaze lowers to his clenched hands. "I'm just not in the mood right now. I'm sorry, Miles. Maybe another time. Tell the others I'm sorry."

Peter's voice sounds guilty for some stupid reason, and Miles feels a swell of anger ball up in his chest, remembering the person who had done this to his once-joyous teammate. He feels angry that Peter actually feels guilty over this, as if any of this is his fault. Instead of yelling, instead of throwing one of Peter's pillows across the room or punching the wall, Miles puts on a tight smile and places two pats on Peter's shoulder, then makes his exit. 

* * *

 

"I'm going to kill him," Flash says, voice wobbling, eyes wet but so filled with rage that both Cho and Miles would have taken three steps back, if it wasn't for the fact that they were just as angry. "When I get my hands on that guy, I'm going to _rip him in two_. Peter and May accepted _all of us_ into their family. They trusted us with their _everything_ , and this is— This is—!"

"Indeed," Cho says, and his voice is icy, eyes filled with murder. "It was the most despicable move any villain could ever pull. I used to think people like Octavius, Electro, and Hydro-man were evil. But this?"

"This takes the cake," Miles responds, nodding his head in agreement. He looks more sad than angry, at the moment, because he's remembering the look on Peter's face. The vacant expression and the almost limp position he had in the armchair next to his bedroom window. "I didn't even think it was possible to hurt Peter that badly. And he's _dead_ in my universe. Peter's— You guys should have seen him. He's broken really bad. I'm not even sure we can put him back together, guys. I'm— I'm scared." 

They all gulp, because yeah, they're all scared. It's a side of the hero none of them has ever seen before, a side no one thought they would ever have to see. No villain has ever been able to break Peter to this extent; Terrify him? Absolutely. Betray him? Definitely. He's dealt with it all. But no one has ever been able to completely take advantage of his trust to such a length. Ben was accepted into their team, became part of a loving home and family, encouraged them all, supported them all, gained their complete trust and respect. Even showed that he got to know all of them. And it was a kind of lie that hurt like a hot iron rod being stabbed through the heart, when revealed.   
  
And the biggest problem with it all is that it had nothing to do with the rest of the team. It was a direct assault against Peter, _and_ his family. It was Peter and Aunt May that were put into the front lines of danger. He specifically planned this out to take advantage of Peter's kindness and willingness to help others, as well as to shatter his trust as powerfully as he could. And it worked. It was a powerful kick to everyone, Peter especially. It was a plan specifically designed to destroy Spider-man from the inside out, and no one's entirely sure it was Doc Ock's idea.

"I never liked him," Flash says, leaning an elbow into one of the arms of his armchair, eyes still burning with anger. "I didn't like him at all, but I still trusted him, because Spidey did. Spidey gave everyone the benefit of the doubt, gave everyone a chance, even the villains. This isn't fair. He never deserved this. I can't think of any reason Spidey would ever deserve this."

"Life doesn't work on whether or not someone deserves something, Flash," Cho says, but his voice is low and his anger is slowly creeping into his expression, the ice in his eyes not disappearing but catching fire. "None of us expected life to be glamorous when being a superhero, not even you. We all know there's struggles. We all knew it was going to be a rocky path filled with unstable and unpredictable variables. I'm simply angry at myself for not taking something as drastic as this into consideration. Heck, even if I did take this into consideration, I have a great deal of doubt that I would have been able to come up with some solution. I— Peter taught me that people can't be figured out by numbers. Emotions and thoughts don't work like that. And I'm... I'm not good with things that don't involve numbers."

Cho gulps, now looking panicked and worried, bringing a hand up to card through his hair. "I usually come up with a solution for everything, but... How am I supposed to fix something that isn't made of metal? Peter's... You're right, Flash, he deserves better."

Flash reaches up and places a sympathetic hand on Cho's arm, giving a firm squeeze, and looks down to his lap.

"Spidey taught me a lot too," he says, his other hand gripping his armrest. "I didn't really get the whole hero thing until Spidey told me. And before I even met him, he inspired me, you know? I mean, it took a while to get out of the habit, but, like, I just... stopped bullying people. And even Peter, before I knew he was Spidey, supported and helped me out too. And just figuring out that he was Peter, it really just... I mean, I used to bully him a _lot_. And he still made an effort to _protect_ me. I— I don't know if that makes sense, I'm not that great with— you know, but..."

"I get it," Miles says. "Peter inspired me too. I got powers and I— did you know I didn't want anything to do with them?" Miles laughs humourlessly, placing a hand on his face and dragging it down his cheek. "And the thought that I could have saved him, it haunts me. I had the power to help Peter out, but I didn't, and Peter died because he was the only person around who fully believed that if you had the power to protect people, then you have to do it, no matter the cost. He died protecting people, man. And it— it was terrifying. He died real young. He didn't even get to eighteen." Miles lets out a shuddering breath. "Like, if there was someone else who had the same mindset as him, fighting by his side, they would have saved everyone while saving each other at the same time, right? If I was there, actually using my powers to help out, Peter might have lived."

"Logically, it wasn't your fault," Cho starts, but is interrupted by a dismissive hand.

"Yeah," Miles shrugs. "Peter said that too. Doesn't matter. The whole great power and great responsibility thing? The fact that he died for those beliefs? He's kind of the biggest inspiration you can get, you know?"

Cho and Flash nod solemnly, giving each other a glance. There's a long, sinking silence that falls over them, making their ears ring.

"He helped all of us. Not just this team, he helped everyone in the school," Flash says, eventually. "And we can't even help him. Guys, I... What do we do?"

"Can we do anything?" Cho asks, which prompts a sharp slap to the arm from Flash.

"We can _always_ do something. C'mon, just... Think like Spidey! We can do that, right?"

Another silence falls over the room, all three of them looking back and forth from each other, and panic begins to come off in waves. They've already tried helping Peter, multiple times, but he's simply become entirely unresponsive. Distant, not entirely _there_. And no one was really sure how to bring him back to the present. 

The silence takes over for minutes, maybe half an hour, because no one feels like talking. There's a heavy atmosphere in the air, suffocating them slowly, and their emotions battle between panic, sadness, and pure anger. At some point, anger must win, because Cho bursts, slamming a fist into the wall.

"I'm going to disassemble that— that _jerk_ molecule by molecule!"

"Not before I punch him in the crotch," Flash practically growls out.

"I call first shot," Miles says quickly. "I want to throw him off a really high building. And watch him fall. I mean, I won't let him _die_ , but I definitely want to watch him fall. Also find a way so that he can't just shoot a web and stop himself from falling. _He needs to fall._ "

The anger dissipates when they think about just how far _Peter_ fell. 

 

 


	2. Discontinuation note

I'm unsure about continuing this story due to the new episode. I'm... in love with Ben again. And I am very, VERY upset. Nope. Ahahaha, I'm crying.


End file.
